An ivory and gold mounted steel dagger (sewar) possibly for royal presentation Aceh, Sumatra, circa 1850


the single-edged steel blade of curved form with flattened spine, the forte mounted in sheet gold, the ivory hilt carved in the form of a bud, with foliate suasa mount to lower half, the sheath of carved ivory with large foliate motif issuing from the top, suasa bands and finial to the body 25.5 cm. long
|PublishedBackman, M., Rare Antique Asian & Colonial Decorative Arts, 2016, p.28.Hales, R., Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour: A Lifetime's Passion, 2013, p. 120.The present lot was made in Aceh, Northern Sumatra. The fine materials and craftsmanship indicates that it was commissioned as a presentation piece, possibly by the Sultan of Aceh or perhaps by a member of his family. A similar dagger, illustrated in Brinkgreve F, & R. Sulistianingsih (eds), Sumatra: Crossroads of Cultures, p.127 was gifted from the Sultan of Deli in North Sumatra to the Governor General of Deli. Equally, a photograph of Sultan Muhammad Daud Syah Johan Berdaulat, the last sultan of Aceh, depicts him with a similar weapon worn under his waistcoat.Aceh was a wealthy Muslim sultanate in Southeast Asia which held exceptional wealth and fame in the 17th Century. It had well-established cultural and trade links with other key centres of the Islamic world in India, Turkey, and the Middle East, as well as Europe and other parts of Asia: traders from all over the world are recorded as having made up Aceh's wealthy merchant class. Thanks to the religious and trade links, the arts of Aceh took on a distinctive aesthetic, with elements drawn from the arts of Ottoman Turkey, the Mughal Empire and Persia. The rulers of Aceh adopted much of the Mughal style of dress and architecture at their own court and much like in the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman courts, the presentation of opulent gifts such as gold, silver, gemstones and fine weapons were a key part of courtly life.